manniax
Well-met in the Ka-tet
Sorry to hear that. And now that I think about it, I remember one instance where someone brought in a trackball device to use instead of the mouse due to carpal tunnel issues, but I forget at which airline.
This is Envoy....
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ManualDXer
Well-Known Member
If you turn the keyboard upside and shake it, you get “Dispatch seasoning”
I Like IKE
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PlaneFan82
Well-Known Member
Who cares what kind of keyboard you have? You’re not writing dissertations. I never understood why AA dispatchers would bring their own keyboards in….qhen I heard about that, I genuinely scratched my head. It is well within a company’s right to prohibit “bring your own peripheral devices”. It can be a risk to the information security. Yeah it doesn’t make sense but they control what can/cannot be connected to their devices.
I Like IKE
Well-Known Member
Anyone who knows anything about IT will tell you that a regular keyboard and mouse poses ZERO threat to "information security" and will not cause any more of an issue than the company provided keyboards. Yes there are some keyboards, such as gaming keyboards, that have their own memory, or have USB slots on them. But you could easily ban that type of keyboard.
This blanket ban on keyboards was clearly instituted as a knee-jerk reaction by someone who doesn't have a basic understanding of computer components.
As for why someone would bring their own, I bought my own and bring it in because I got tired of having to try to find a company keyboard that wasn't missing one or both of the feet. That's on top of the "dispatch seasoning" others discussed. Add people spilling their drinks or food onto the company keyboards, or sneezing/coughing on them, picking their nose and touching them, etc. It's especially a problem for people who may be immunocompromised. And as far as the dumb "you're not writing a dissertation" comment, you don't have to be writing a dissertation to get carpal-tunnel from years/decades of working a desk job.
And why would a company be complaining about a worker providing their own equipment, thus not adding wear and tear to company equipment. Seems win/win for all.
The real point is, there is no legitimate reason for them to "ban" keyboards. This was an overreaction by management at best and a dirty anti-union tactic at worst (don't forget, they only banned dispatch, the unionized group currently in negotiations, from using their own keyboards.)
flynryan692
Well-Known Member
Any USB device, including a keyboard, can spread malware and be used as an attack vector if it has the right hardware. The odds of some dispatcher doing that intentionally or unintentionally is incredibly unlikely, but I wouldn't say it poses "zero" threat. Banning personal peripherals for "security" is ridiculous though.
I Like IKE
Well-Known Member
"If it has the right hardware", yes. As I said, they can ban keyboards with their own memory. That would at least make sense.
But if "information security" or network performance were the real reason for this asinine policy, it would apply to everyone in the SOC, and not literally just the seniority list for the dispatch union.
Envoy has a long history of being anti-union, and they aren't even good at hiding it. And it comes from a lot higher than anyone in the SOC.